On July 29, 2025, a regional consultation on community needs for implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation policies was held at the Municipality of Talin consolidated community in Aragatsotn Region.
The consultation brought together Members of the National Assembly, representatives of the Ministry of Environment, the local self-government of Talin, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), NGOs, experts, and youth.
The purpose of the meeting was to raise awareness about Armenia’s national climate commitments, particularly the 2021–2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), as well as to gather input from Talin’s local authorities, civil society, and youth on climate challenges, needs, and possible solutions, and to facilitate dialogue with MPs and receive responses from ministry representatives.
The consultation was held within the framework of the UNDP “Fostering Responsive, Effective, Transparent, and Inclusive National Assembly of Armenia” (FORSETI) project, funded by the Governments of Sweden and Canada, in cooperation with the National Assembly of Armenia.
Talin Mayor Tavros Sapeyan, Senior Development Programs Specialist Razmik Ghazaryan, Second-Class Specialist Anzhela Dilanian, and Head of Urban Planning and Land Management Department Gagik Mirzakhanyan presented the community’s challenges and development priorities.
Razmik Ghazaryan noted that Talin includes 32 rural and one urban settlement. The main development directions are livestock breeding, crop farming and horticulture, mining, food production, small and medium enterprises, and tourism. Key climate issues include water scarcity and mismanagement, risks of land degradation and desertification, and strong winds. Talin also suffers annual losses from hail, especially in Aragatsavan and Arteni, which damage apricot orchards. He emphasized the need for a modern anti-hail system to mitigate these impacts.
The consultation also focused on sector-specific climate vulnerabilities and adaptation measures.
ON FOREST
Talin’s forest fund covers 1,082.09 hectares — about 1% of the community’s territory — but is mostly non-forested. Given the harsh climate and vulnerability to climate change, there is a need to expand forested areas.
According to the Armenian Government’s April 22, 2021 Decision No. 610-L, approving the NDCs under the Paris Agreement, forest cover should be increased to 12.9% of Armenia’s territory by 2030.
Mayor Tavros Sapeyan said the community is ready to establish and maintain forested areas:
“For forest projects, we have submitted about 1,000 hectares across 5 settlements, but have not yet received a response.”
Gagik Mirzakhanyan added that during Soviet times Talin had about 900 hectares of forest, which were not preserved: “We have lands designated as forest in maps, but in reality, there are no trees.”
MP, Chair of NA Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Rustam Bakoyan proposed considering whether intensive orchards in the private sector could be included in state programs to expand forest cover by 50,000 hectares.
UNDP Climate Change Senior Adviser Diana Harutyunyan replied that while intensive orchards are not considered forests, they could be treated as greenhouse gas absorbers. She emphasized encouraging windbreak and roadside forest belts, with incentives and support for communities to implement such programs. Support, she stressed, must also cover maintenance for at least five years until the ecosystem stabilizes.
On Water Resources
Talin faces irrigation and drinking water issues. Mayor Sapeyan noted that there are 7–8 reservoirs on the slopes of Mount Aragats, above the villages, but they are in poor condition. A new reservoir is being designed in Garnahovit, and a large reservoir site exists in Yeghnik village, which could provide irrigation water for more than 10 villages and help prevent mudflows.
He also stressed the importance of proper water distribution: “In Kakavadzor, Davtashen, and Mastara, we are installing water meters so that irrigation water is not used when the next village lacks drinking water. Most water systems are in poor condition, causing losses. Some areas, like Aragatsavan, still rely on deep wells.”
Sapeyan gave examples of recent projects: In Zarinja, a new internal network is being built through a tripartite agreement between the community, Veolia Water, and the government. In Arteni, which never had drinking water, a new system will deliver water from Mount Aragats. In Aragats village, deep well water can be filtered for safe supply.
Gagik Mirzakhanyan stressed that drinking water sources have declined 3–4 times compared to the Soviet era, possibly due to overuse in the Ararat Valley.
Razmik Ghazaryan highlighted the need to reconstruct and build new reservoirs, citing the worn-out Kakavadzor reservoir as a missed irrigation opportunity.
Diana Harutyunyan noted UNDP’s work on community geomembrane reservoirs, which are more viable than relying on rainwater.
Mirzakhanyan recalled a Soviet-era plan for a 1.5 million cubic meter reservoir in Upper Sarnashen to serve 8 villages via gravity flow - an unfinished but valuable project.
MP Bakoyan confirmed that increasing the number of reservoirs is a government policy priority.
Anzhela Dilanian raised the need for a wastewater treatment plant in Talin, noting untreated sewage flows into the environment, threatening health and wasting potential irrigation water.
Lilit Abrahamyan, Head of the Water Policy Department at the Ministry of Environment, outlined measures under way, including efficiency improvements, water-saving, and installing meters. She linked groundwater decline in Aragatsotn to overuse in the Ararat Valley, addressed through legislative reforms in 2022 targeting fish farms. A new water allocation mechanism has been approved by the government and submitted to parliament.
Bakoyan stressed that with proper water management, Talin’s fertile lands could support intensive orchards, enabling sustainable community development.
MP Arusyak Manavazyan emphasized that while Armenia is currently rich in water resources, it will not always be so, making proper management essential. She noted improvements in addressing past water issues and the importance of raising public awareness to adopt new technologies.
To be continued
August 14, 2025 at 17:18